While several backrest devices have been previously proposed for hunters, game can easily be “spooked,” i.e., alerted to the presence of the hunter if a sound is produced when the hunter contacts the tree bark or other backrest or the backrest itself moves slightly against the tree or other support to which it is connected. U.S. Pat. No. 6,652,027, for example, describes a padded backrest that has a rigid backing which because of its hard rear surface can rub against the tree and cause a sound if the backrest is moved slightly by the hunter as he aims. Moreover, because of its rigid structure, the patented backrest cannot be folded into a compact bundle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,531 describes a compact backrest, but there is no provision for enclosing the backrest when the backrest is not in use. Although the patented backrest includes a quiver, the quiver has a narrow opening that faces an adjacent side edge of the backrest that renders it only useful for carrying arrows. There is no way to enclose the backrest for storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,956 describes another backrest and seat which comprises three padded cushions that can be folded relative to one another along two horizontal lines and has an outer skin made of waterproof nylon and interior chambers filled with fiber material such as nylon fiber or styrofoam. While there are sleeves for a hand warmer, there is no way to enclose the backrest for storage when not in use and the relatively thick cushions that are filled with nylon fiber or styrofoam prevent the backrest from being rolled up. Each of the padded sections itself is resistant to folding so that the entire backrest is not able to be compacted into a small bundle. Moreover, none of the patented devices have a provision for supporting the hunter so as to prevent him from falling, e.g.; from a tree stand that may be suspended 10 or 15 feet in the air.
In view of these and other deficiencies of the prior art, it is one object of the present invention to provide an improved noise-suppressing backrest that can be rolled or folded into a compact bundle and is constructed so that continued rolling up of the material from which the backrest is formed will facilitate storage thereof.
Another object is to provide a noise-suppressing backrest of supple material having sound-suppressing qualities with a built-in feature having a closure as a part of the backrest to contain the backrest as a compact bundle.
A further object of the invention is the provision of a noise-suppressing backrest having a means to support the backrest as well as the hunter to prevent the hunter from falling, for example, when the backrest is used in a tree stand.
Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a sound-suppressing backrest with a self-contained feature for holding the backrest when rolled or folded into a bundle and including a dual-purpose element for attaching the backrest to a tree during use as well as to the hunter when the backrest is being carried.
These and other more detailed and specific objects of the present invention will be better understood by reference to the following figures and detailed description which illustrate by way of example but a few of the various forms of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.